عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Iraq’s Turkmen Invest in Kurds’ Loss of Kirkuk

Iraqis hold Iraqi flags and the flag of the Iraqi Turkmen as they gather in the street in the city of Kirkuk to celebrate on October 18, 2017. (AFP)
Iraqis hold Iraqi flags and the flag of the Iraqi Turkmen as they gather in the street in the city of Kirkuk to celebrate on October 18, 2017. (AFP)
TT
TT

Iraq’s Turkmen Invest in Kurds’ Loss of Kirkuk

Iraqis hold Iraqi flags and the flag of the Iraqi Turkmen as they gather in the street in the city of Kirkuk to celebrate on October 18, 2017. (AFP)
Iraqis hold Iraqi flags and the flag of the Iraqi Turkmen as they gather in the street in the city of Kirkuk to celebrate on October 18, 2017. (AFP)

Iraq’s Turkmen have sought hard in recent days to exploit the ongoing crisis between Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region for their favor, especially after the Iraqi government forces seized the majority disputed regions, including oil-rich Kirkuk.

Kirkuk, whose population is 32 percent Turkmen, has been the focus of talks carried out by a Turkmen delegation that has visited Turkey.

A member of the delegation Fawzi Akram Tarzi demanded: “We want real partnership in decision-making in the province.”

The rest of Kirkuk is divided equally between Kurds and Arabs at 32 percent, while Christians make up 4 percent of the population.

Tarzi denied claims that Turkmen had deliberately displaced Kurds in Kirkuk in recent weeks. He said that the Kurds were displaced by the recent Iraqi military campaign in the region.

“They did not leave under Turkmen threats and we demand the return off all who left the area,” he continued.

As part of their efforts to take advantage of the situation, the Turkmen delegation visited on Sunday the Turkish capital Ankara where it held talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The delegation had also previously held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in Baghdad.

The Turkmen enjoy local and regional support, said Tarzi.

“The meeting in Ankara was excellent because the gatherers held clear talks over the future of the Turkmen and over strategic issues that should be executed in the next five years,” he explained.

Even though the Turkmen minority enjoys the same Sunni and Shi’ite makeup as the rest of the Iraqi population, it has long complained of marginalization and their lack of proper representation in government and other public positions in both Baghdad and Kurdistan.

“The Turkmen do not have demands for a federation or autonomous rule, but we want our natural rights that are stipulated in the constitution,” but unfortunately none of that has been granted, continued Tarzi.

He revealed that the delegation will visit Iran soon. It will also pay visits to Egypt to meet members of the Arab League and later the European Union to present the Iraqi Turkmen reality to officials.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Syria Closes ISIS-linked al-Hol Camp after Emptying it

18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
TT
TT

Syria Closes ISIS-linked al-Hol Camp after Emptying it

18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa
18 February 2026, Syria, Al-Hol: A view of al-Hol camp. Photo: Moawia Atrash/dpa

Syrian authorities have closed al-Hol camp, which long housed relatives of suspected ISIS militants, after emptying the formerly Kurdish-controlled facility, a camp official told AFP on Sunday.

"All Syrian and non-Syrian families were relocated," Fadi al-Qassem, the official appointed by the government to manage al-Hol's affairs told AFP.

Al-Hol, located in a desert region of Hasakeh province, had been Syria's largest camp housing relatives of suspected ISIS fighters.

Last month, the government took over the camp from its Kurdish administrators, who had long run it, as Kurdish forces ceded territory and Damascus extended its control across swathes of Syria's northeast.

Since then, thousands of family members of foreign militants have left for unknown destinations.

The facility had housed some 24,000 people, mostly Syrians but also Iraqis and more than 6,000 other foreigners of around 40 nationalities.

Qassem said security forces were searching the tents for any remaining families.

Earlier this week, authorities had started evacuating the remaining residents, taking them to a camp in Akhtarin, in the north of Aleppo province.

Some of the families were taken elsewhere, Qassem said, without specifying the location.

"The camp's residents are children and women who need support for their reintegration," he added.

A source in a humanitarian organization that was active in the camp told AFP: "We evacuated all our teams working inside the camp, dismantled all our equipment and prefabricated rooms and moved them out of the camp".

Last week, the US military said it had completed the transfer of thousands of ISIS suspects, including many Syrians but also Westerners, to Iraq, after they were held in Kurdish-run prisons in northeast Syria for years.

Arab World

Palestinian Foreign Ministry Condemns US Ambassador to Israel’s Statements

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
TT
TT

Palestinian Foreign Ministry Condemns US Ambassador to Israel’s Statements

The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)
The Israeli settlement of Har Homa, seen from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. (AP)

The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned statements by the US ambassador to Israel, in which he claimed that Israel has the right to exercise control over the entire Middle East.

The ministry emphasized that these provocative statements constitute a blatant call for aggression against the sovereignty of states.

It added that they support the continuation of the occupation’s war of genocide and displacement, as well as the implementation of its annexation and expansionist plans against the Palestinian people, SPA reported.

The Palestinian foreign ministry pointed out that the statements contradict religious and historical facts and international law, SPA reported.

It called on the US administration to take a clear stance regarding its ambassador to Israel’s remarks, which are completely at odds with the US president’s position rejecting the annexation of the West Bank.

Arab World

Israel Carries Out More Strikes in Lebanon amid Lack of Int’l Assurances on Wider Regional Escalation

People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
TT
TT

Israel Carries Out More Strikes in Lebanon amid Lack of Int’l Assurances on Wider Regional Escalation

People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanese officials say the country has yet to obtain firm or decisive Western guarantees that it will be spared from a larger confrontation in the region as speculation grows over a potential US strike on Iran.

Chief concerns center on whether Hezbollah would be targeted as part of any large-scale strike, or whether the group might intervene militarily alongside Tehran.

Ministerial sources said Israeli airstrikes on Hamas in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon, as well as overnight raids targeting Hezbollah in the eastern Bekaa Valley fall within the pattern of ongoing military operations Lebanon, particularly targeted assassinations against figures linked to both groups.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat Lebanon has not received explicit Western assurances that it would not be drawn into a wider confrontation if the conflict expands.

On Hezbollah’s position, the sources noted that the group has not offered a clear position on how it would respond to potential developments.

They pointed to behind-the-scenes efforts led primarily by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri who believes “Hezbollah will not take any step if Iran is struck.”

Although Hezbollah has previously declared it “would stand idle” in case of escalation, the sources said the party has not announced any specific military plans.

Statements made by its officials have been vague, they added, citing remarks by head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc Mohammad Raad, who stressed on Friday the party’s commitment to “the security and stability of the country and the continuation of normal life.”

In Lebanon’s official response, President Joseph Aoun strongly condemned the Israeli raids carried out overnight by land and sea, which targeted the Sidon area and towns in the Bekaa.

He described the continued attacks as “blatant aggression” aimed at sabotaging Lebanon’s diplomatic efforts with brotherly and friendly nations - foremost among them the United States - to consolidate stability and halt Israeli hostilities.

Aoun said the strikes were a renewed violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and a clear breach of international obligations, particularly United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a cessation of hostilities and full implementation of its provisions.

The president renewed his appeal to countries supporting regional stability to assume their responsibilities by pressing for an immediate halt to the attacks and ensuring respect for international resolutions in a way that preserves Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and prevents further escalation.